When he’s not working at Walt Disney Animation Studios on films such as Zootopia or the upcoming Encanto, or helping to take care of his four children, Jeremy Spears finds time to steal away into his Whittle Workshop where he creates objects out of wood. The Annie Award-winning story artist then has high-quality resin replicas made of his carvings, packaging and selling them to people around the world.
“I’ve always loved the idea of carving in wood,” Spears says, “and I’d done bits of it here and there.” Then, ten years ago, he was up in Big Bear. “I was outside in the snow, bundled up and just whittling away on this little piece of basswood, and I was at peace and harmony with world. I created this bear that was finished,” and unlike work he’d done before with clay, “it wasn’t going to break or fall apart.”
Spears’ side interest escalated beyond a hobby when he received his first commission. Early in his efforts with woodworking, he had displayed some of his smaller carvings in a micro gallery that he and two colleagues had created in a hallway cubby space. This led to him connecting with Brandon Kleyla at Walt Disney Imagineering, who hired him to create the signature wall mask for Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at Disneyland, and a side business was born.
Because of time constraints, Spears finds he has to work quickly in spurts, taking advantage of nap times when his kids are asleep. One of his favorite creations, a bear that he named after his son Emmet, took over three years to complete. And when his newborn daughter turned out to be a sound sleeper, he found time to do some tiki carvings. He created his Drinki Tiki coasters with uniquely carved faces. Starting small, he figured he could sell a run of 25 sets, and then kept building from there as demand increased. His business model evolved over time, and he determined that having flash sales work best for him.
“The reason I do each one of these projects,” Spears says, “is because there’s something about it that scratches an itch that I’ve had for a while.” Woodcarving is his labor of love, and he might spend six months to a year just thinking about a specific creation, doing plenty of drawings first. Sometimes he’ll glue pieces of wood together and place the rough assembly of a character up on a shelf so that he’ll catch a glimpse of it whenever he walks by. Once he’s ready to finish it, he does the actual carving over a month or two, working on it a couple of nights a week and some weekends, always striving to have a surprising twist in the pose to imbue it with extra character.
Because it doesn’t involve looking at a screen, woodcarving offers a form of escape for Spears. He likes the feeling of drawing on something other than a computer, although a career spent in animation has inevitably influenced his style. Among the artists he admires are classic Disney animators such as Bill Peet, Mary Blair and Marc Davis. Of the latter’s technique, he says, “There’s a quality to the pen and ink work and the watercolor that you kind of miss when [you] get into the newer digital artwork.”
After a lot of trial and error, Spears feels that he’s developed a woodcarving language of his own that he can apply to any character and design. As well, he’s discovered that his process is surprisingly similar to what he does every day with storyboarding. “As with story,” he explains, “we start out with the block of wood and cut little pieces away, trying things out until we start to see the form emerge.” He admits that he almost always gets to a point with his woodcarving where something about it is not quite right and he has to take a big risk, like boldly cutting something off and gluing it back on. Doing that shakes things up and helps get him get unstuck. It helps to keep him inspired on all levels.
Woodworking has also enhanced Spears’ work in animation. If he’s struggling to figure out a storyboard scene, he’ll come home and start whittling. Shifting focus enables him to return to work with a fresh perspective.
Spears delights in every stage of his side business, from creating the final product to marketing and fun packaging ideas. He pays attention to every detail, often adding accessories for his carvings. These might include a screen-print bandana for Emmet the bear or a small bird that can be affixed to the back of Francis the hippo—not only is every creation named, it’s given its own story. With this love of whimsy and passion for craft, it’s no wonder that Spears calls his woodshop his “happy place.”
